The school district is facing budget cuts and is proposing to close the libraries at two schools near the public library to save money. The school library board discusses three scenarios: keeping both libraries open with one shared librarian, closing both libraries with no formal partnership with the public library, or finding ways to increase revenue and decrease expenses through a partnership with the public library to keep both schools' libraries open. The document provides suggestions for increasing library revenue such as book fairs and sales, and decreasing expenses through partnerships and volunteers. It emphasizes the importance of collaboration between school and public libraries to supplement resources and services.

1. School Library Scenario
The school district has been seeking additional cuts in its budget,
following three years of reduced revenue. It is proposing to close
the libraries in two schools near the town‟s public library.
Audience
School Library Board
Probable Scenario
Both school libraries will stay open, but they will share one
librarian. There will be a partnership formed with the local public
library to fill in gaps.
Possible Scenario
Both libraries will close and no formal relationship gets
established with the local public library to supplement services.
Preferable Scenario
We are able to increase library revenue and decrease expenses
through a partnership with the local public library, allowing both
school libraries to stay open.
Ways to Increase Library Revenue
Book fairs through Scholastic or Anderson Books
Book sales - selling donated books
Increasing fines for overdue books
Private donations
Apply for the Department of Education‟s new Innovative
Approaches to Literacy Program Grant via www.grants.gov
(there are about 30 grants available in the $150,000 to
$750,000 range)
Bonds?
Forming partnerships with local businesses?
Ways to Decrease Library Expenses

2. Build up a team of volunteers
Decrease redundancies with local public library by
cancelling database and periodical subscriptions, ie:
Novelist K-12 subscription $400/year
For in-school reading programs, instead of buying the
books for the kids, borrow them from the public library (may
need to use interlibrary loan as well)
Collaboration with other school districts to leverage
purchases
Buying paperback books instead of hardcover books
Reduce collection acquisition and rely more on the public
library
Email overdue notices to students and/or parents instead of
mailing them to save on postage
Ways to work with the public library
Have a librarian from the public library come to each of the
classrooms at both schools to speak to the kids about the
various programs and resources that are available to
supplement what is available at their school library
Create marketing materials to be sent home to parents
letting them know about the complementary services the
public library offers and encouraging them to get their kids
to the library as often as possible
Sign all the kids up for public library cards
Establish a fun and engaging reading event at the public
library for the kids at the public schools
Deliveries of public library materials to supplement the
public school collections
Middle school booktalks
Outreach to school groups
Shuttle busses between schools and libraries
Homework support
Bibliography

3. Farmer, Lesley and Marilyn Shontz. Despite the recession,
media specialists are making the best of a bad situation. SLJ.
April 1, 2009. Web.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6648082.html
Ham, Stephanie. Tag-Team Librarianship: Partnerships between
public and school libraries work well sometimes, but not always
SLJ. http://www.slj.com/2012/07/opinion/letters-to-slj/tag-team-
librarianship-partnerships-between-public-and-school-libraries-
work-well-sometimes-but-not-always-letters/
Miller, Rebecca T. and Laura Girmscheid. It Takes Two: The
Need for Tighter Collaboration Between School and Public
Librarians. SLJ. May 1, 2012. Web.
http://www.slj.com/2012/05/budgets-funding/it-takes-two-the-
need-for-tighter-collaboration-between-school-and-public-
librarians/
Whelan, Debrah Lau. DOE Finally Opens Federal School Library
Grant Application Process. SLJ. July 12, 2012. Web.
http://www.slj.com/2012/07/budgets-funding/doe-finally-opens-
federal-school-library-grant-application-process/
Article Link
http://www.tandfonline.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/doi/abs/10.
1080/1072303X.2011.580646
Hi guys,
Sorry I missed the first meeting.
Meantime I talked to our library director who teaches School
Library coursework and emailed my friend who is a school
librarian. Here are their thoughs.
The School Librarian:

4. Although the shared library scenario seems a great deal, it is a
LOT of work for the librarian. In the position I‟m currently in, I
operate two small school libraries (both about the size of the
curriculum library at VCSU) and teach classes to grades PreK-5.
I know you know how hard running a library is (even a small
one), so I don‟t need to tell you running two is a great deal of
work. For a while, in my two schools (before I came here), they
also tried a Bookmobile for the smaller of the two schools.
Truthfully, if I were in such a situation, I would research like
crazy to find some facts proving how very important libraries are
to a student‟s success, get some parents on board, and speak at
as many School Board meetings as possible to keep the libraries
and librarians and look for other ways we can save some
money—maybe each teacher gets a little less for supplies or we
come up with a fundraising activity like a book fair to cover some
of the expenses.
As far as the public library goes, it‟s a great idea in theory and I
DO use the public library a lot both for lessons and personal use.
However, you have to take into account that either you‟re going
to have to bus or walk the kids to the public library or somehow
get a list of the books the kids want and bring them back (which I
do once in a while if there‟s a book a student wants that we don‟t
have). I wonder if it‟s worth the extra stress on the person (this
would create MUCH more work and headache for him/her) and
extra time it takes to move kids.
Director:
She said that if she were the school librarian in this situation, she
would fight to keep both libraries open and here are her key
points to make the case:
Role of school libraries in a community and social
economic balance.
o School libraries provide social economic balance by
providing access & convinience to resources that
some of the kids can‟t afford. e.g Some families don‟t
have computers at home, some families don‟t have a
car or time to drive the kid around.

5. Collections of school libraries is completely different than
the public libraries. Similar to Academic libraries differ from
public libraries.
These collections support the school curriculums and
teachers
One important aspect is that school librarians are teachers
too! They teach classes along with the other teachers.
Sometimes they have to teach part time english in addition
to Library literature classes and running the school library.
Student performance is tied to the school librarian “kids that
school librarians help them do better”
If you close the libraries, who is going to help the students?
Most of the time public libraries are not equipped to do
what school librarians do. You still have to hire someone to
fulfill the responsibilities
Merging libraries could cost you more because of the work
& resources involved in it. You have to hire people to
combine the collections, build relationship with schools.
And you have to buy new materials to support the school
curriculums. Someone has to build relationships with the
school teachers
Suggested Readings for "defense" of school libraries!
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA377858.html
Why is that so important?
“This is significant because the school library has been very
clearly perceived to be a passive space where students go to get
information. But libraries are more than a point of exchange to
get books and Web sites. That's a passive notion. This study
shows that school libraries are actively engaged as learning
instructional centers to develop intellectual scaffolds for students
and to help them engage with information meaningfully to
construct their own understanding of the topic they're [studying]”
Do school and public libraries need to collaborate more
closely to get older students interested in reading?
School and public libraries are functioning as separate entities
and need closer collaboration and dialogue to provide a much

6. more holistic information service. Students should use public
libraries in addition to school libraries as part of the information
chain.
http://www.ilfonline.org/clientuploads/AIME/ILF_Position_Report
_School_Librarians.pdf
What does a School Librarian Do?
A School Librarian is a teacher, an instructional partner, an
information specialist, and a program administrator.
• As teacher, the library media specialist collaborates with
students and other members of the
learning community to analyze learning and information needs,
to locate and use resources that will meet those needs, and to
understand and communicate the information the resources
provide.
• As instructional partner, the library media specialist joins with
teachers and others to identify
links across student information needs, curricular content,
learning outcomes, and a wide
variety of print, nonprint, and electronic information resources.
• As information specialist, the library media specialist provides
leadership and expertise in
acquiring and evaluating information resources in all formats; in
bringing an awareness of
information issues into collaborative relationships with teachers,
administrators, students, and
others; and in modeling for students and others strategies for
locating, accessing, and
evaluating information within and beyond the library media
center.
• As program administrator, the library media specialist works
collaboratively with members of
the learning community to define the policies of the library media
program and to guide and
direct all activities related to it.

7. Hey all!
Here is an interesting article that I found that really relates to
what we are doing for this project. Essentially, this article
discusses “Getting the Story Out” to school administrators
(jackpot!!)
Foote, Carolyn. "Data Delivery: Getting The Story Out."
Internet@Schools 19.4 (2012): 26-27. Library, Information
Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.
Some of the key points include:
Administrators do not want to be overwhelmed by data -
they are short on time, so they just want the bottom-line,
big picture facts.
Consider both what the data is trying to convey and the
intended audience. How does the audience prefer to
receive the data - in a report, in a multimedia presentation,
etc? The data is truly only as relevant/important as the
story that is behind it. In this way, the author advocates for
really examining the data and crafting the right message.
Ask questions like: Do we want to focus on the entire
school year, or a certain event or program? Is our data too
overwhelming and not enough focused on the human side
of our students? How can school librarians use social
media throughout the school year to continually publicize
the library story?
Some administrators suggested that they would like to be
involved from the ground up in creating the library story
with the school librarian
The six criteria to utilize in order to make an idea stick with
the intended audience and impact them: “simplicity,
unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotion, and
story.” Also focus on boiling the data down to how it affects
the average person.
From the article, “A collection of innovative reports can be
found at

8. http://schoollibrarywebsites.wikispaces.com/Reports. These
examples provide an excellent jumping-off point for
consideration, using various media, including video
(Animoto), newsletters, charts, and infographies.”
Never forget that it is not so much about the library or
librarian as it is about the student - and this should be
evident in any message conveyed.
More research/statistics on the impact of school libraries on
student achievement/performance:
Lance, Keith Curry, and Linda Hofschire. "Something To Shout
About. (Cover Story)." School Library Journal 57.9 (2011): 28-33.
Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 14
Oct. 2012.
The article above uses facts/statistics to illustrate how the
current recession and implications of cutting school library
programs will affect the students. Has some nice charts we can
maybe use as well.
Key findings include:
Based upon a National Center for Education Statistics
(NCES) Study conducted from In a 2004-2009,National
Center for Education Statistics Study 19 out of 26 states
that gained school librarians realized a 2.2% gain in
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
reading test scores of fourth graders, as compared to an
average 1% gain in 9 of 24 schools that lost librarians. The
importance here is the ratio: gains in test scores are 2:1
between schools that gained librarians vs. those that lost
librarians.
School libraries/librarians can be viewed as having a direct
impact upon student learning and achievement upon
considering that for some students (especially those at the
poverty level), the school library is the only access they
have to “books, instruction, and reading advisory”
“Our study showed that the percent change in the number
of school librarians from 2004-2005 to 2008- 2009 was
significantly and positively correlated with the percent
change in the reading scores for all groups except for black

9. students (see Table 3). This means that when the
percentage of school librarians increased, a percent
increase was also seen in reading scores for all students,
whether poor, Hispanic, or ELL.” (p .31).
They were able to isolate the variable of school librarians,
effectively proving that even when schools lose other
teachers/staff, it is the loss of the school librarian that
directly impacts student test performance.
Student achievement is cumulative, meaning that losses
one year severely impact and put students behind in
subsequent years.
Lance, K. C. “What Research Tells Us About the Importance of
School Libraries.” Knowledge Quest v. 31 no. 1
(September/October 2002 supp) p. 17-22. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.
This article examines the question: “how do improvements in
school libraries contribute to such student progress?”
Insights based upon studies in six states: Alaska, Pennsylvania,
Colorado (2000) and Oregon and Iowa (2001) and New Mexico
(2002).
The original Colorado study indicated “that the size of the library
in terms of its staff and its collection is a direct predictor of
reading scores. The amount of test score variation explained by
this school library size factor ranged from five to fifteen percent
across various elementary and secondary grades while
controlling for a variety of other school and community
differences.” In plain English, test scores increased by 5-15% in
direct correlation with larger libraries, with all other factors being
equal. (p. 17).
“Indirect predictors of achievement included the presence of a
professionally trained librarian who plays an active instructional
role and higher levels of spending on the school library.” (p. 17).
In the six studies, Lance examined the following factors: school
library development which is inclusive of “the ratios of
professionals and total staff to students, a variety of per student
collection ratios, and per student spending on the school library.
When school libraries have higher levels of professional and

10. total staffing, larger collections of print and electronic resources,
and more funding, students tend to earn higher scores on state
reading tests”(p. 18).
Leadership - school librarians who are leaders (meet often with
principal, participate in faculty meetings, help establish standards
and curriculum, and engage with library colleagues in the
building, district, and field) have more of a dramatic impact upon
student achievement.
Collaboration amongst school librarians and classroom teachers
also positively affects student learning.
Technology- “In our recent studies, we have found that in
schools where computer networks provide remote access to
library resources, particularly the Web and licensed databases,
test scores tend to be higher” (p. 21).
The above-mentioned research studies were purposefully
designed to control for a variety of school and community
differences including: “characteristics of teachers, such as their
levels of education, experience, and compensation; the teacher-
pupil ratio; and total per pupil expenditures (school differences)
and “poverty, minority demographics, and adult educational
attainment (community differences). (p. 22).
Krashen, Stephen. The Power of Reading: Insights from the
Research. 2nd ed. Libraries Unlimited, 2004.
Strikingly genius in its simplicity, Krashen compiles research
from hundreds of studies all in support of free voluntary reading
or FVR. Effectively, Krashen has proven that FVR, or reading
simply for the purposes of intrinsic enjoyment, entails the best
way for students to amass a multitude of skills including reading
comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, spelling improvement,
and overall increased literacy and command of language. He
argues that FVR leads to greater gains in language and literacy
development than direct instruction focusing upon teaching
phonics and phonetic awareness.

11. In my opinion, it is up to school librarians to embrace this
research and to share it with teachers, administrators, and
parents. It is evident that we are all living in a culture of
assessment, so having comprehensible, unambiguous proof at
our fingertips that quality school libraries are a direct link to
improving testing scores remains an inestimable weapon in our
arsenal. Reading is clearly a self-fulfilling prophesy; in actuality, it
is an organic process that gives rise to its own reward.
Furthermore, it only takes that one unforgettable reading
experience, that one "home run book," as Krashen calls it, to
create a lifelong reader.
Here is some evidence from the text:
Better school libraries (in terms of larger collections and longer
hours) cause students to read more. Case in point, in a 1984
study conducted by Houle and Montmarquette, “Increasing the
supply of books by 20 percent…increases the number of books
taken out by 10 percent, and increasing library hours about 20
percent increases loans by17 percent in high school libraries and
about 3.5 percent in elementary school libraries” (Krashen, 59).
However, simply providing access to library materials is not
enough to ensure success - other factors are involved including
physical environment and more importantly professional library
staff.
Children get a majority of their reading material from libraries. In
the following studies, the percent of books for 11-year old kids
originating from the school library is staggering:
Doig and Blackmoore, 1995, School lib= 63%
Worth, Moorman, and Turner, 1999 Low SES, School lib=34%
Ivey and Broaddhus, 2001, School lib=55% (Krashen, 64)
According to Mellon 1987, “Almost 90%” of ninth graders
reported the school library as their chief source for books
(Krashen, 65).
“Elley and Mangubhai (1979; reported in Elley 1984) found that
the most important predictor of English reading scores among
children in the Fiji Islands was the size of the school library.
„Those schools with libraries of more than 400 books produced
consistently higher mean scores than those with smaller libraries

12. or none at all…no school had high test scores without a large
library‟ (p.293)” (Krashen 66).
School libraries, more bang for your buck!! Lance, Welborn, and
Hamilton-Pennell (1993) discovered “that money invested in
school libraries in Colorado was associated with higher reading
scores, even when factors such as poverty and availability of
computers were controlled. Lance and his colleagues have
replicated these results in Colorado and in several other states,
showing that library quality, defined in terms of number of books
in the library and the presence and quality of library staffing
is consistently related to reading achievement” (Krashen 66).
Various other studies have indicated that school libraries are
consistent predictors of success on NAEP reading scores. The
availability of a print rich environment, quality staff, and number
of books in the library collection factor into this measure.
Finally, Krashen advocates for diverting a small portion of funds
earmarked for technology and testing to be spent on school
libraries. An interesting proposal that he makes concerns taking
the $5.3B spent on No Child Left Behind between 2002 and
2008and “invest[ing][ it] instead in a trust fund for school
libraries, dedicated to improving both books and staffing in high
poverty area schools? The interest on this sum might be enough
to guarantee a print-rich environment and adequate libraries for
all children in the United States forever…” (Krashen,
77)…..Could we propose something similar?????
Courtney
Hi, I‟ve been looking up budget numbers and am not coming up
with too much that‟s interesting. I‟m not sure how much of the
library‟s overhead (space, utilities, etc.) is picked up by the
school and how much is allocated in the library‟s budget. Since
we make up our own numbers, I think that we can use these just

13. as guidelines. I‟m still working these up but wanted to add a
preliminary post.
Farmer, Leslie. 2012. Brace Yourself: SLJ’s School Library Spending Survey
Shows the Hard Times Aren’t Over, and Better Advocacy Is Needed. School
Library Journal, March
1.http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/newsletters/newsletterbucketextrahelpin
g2/893538-477/brace_yourself_sljs_school_library.html.csp
“Fortunately, some materials and services, such as periodicals and
technology, were funded from other budgets at the local, district, and state
levels. In addition, almost all states provided school libraries with statewide
database subscriptions.”
2011 stats from the School Library Journal school library spending
survey:
Median middle school library budget = $7,500
Median salary of head public school librarians = $55,000
Average middle school enrollment = 753
Expenditure per student = $9.57
One-third of middle schools have adult volunteers
Two-thirds of middle schools use student helpers, average of 6 student
volunteers
Middle school librarians‟ top tasks: teaching (86%), tech troubleshooting
(64%), faculty development (46%), tutoring (17%), managing textbooks
(12%), network maintenance (5%), other duties (29%)
Average 13,000 print titles (400 reference), add 243 annually, book budget
of $6,000 a year
>90% funding for online resources is from local school boards
Computer hardware = (average) $1,182, two-thirds of the funds came from
local school boards; federal funding accounted for about 10%, and the rest
was fund-raised.
To advocate for funds, present “quantitative records of library usage
(including records of circulation, individual and class visits, and space use),
lessons taught, time spent on technology, staff requests, and student
programs, links to library materials that support the school curriculum,
evidence of the impact on student achievement, and a record of the
increased cost of materials, items lost, extra duties performed, and tasks
that can‟t be done because of limited staffing or funds”
_____________
Farmer, Leslie. 2011. “SLJ‟s Spending Survey: As the economy limps
along and federal dollars dwindle, school librarians are turning into
resourceful survivors.” School Library Journal, March
1.http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/889109-

14. 427/sljs_spending_survey_as_the.html.csp
_____________________________
American Library Association. 2011. School Libraries Count:
National Longitudinal Survey of School Library Programs.
Chicago: American Association of School
Librarians.http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/r
esearchandstatistics/slcsurvey/2011/AASL-SLC-2011-
FINALweb.pdf
Quantifies use of school libraries
___________________
Baltimore County Public Schools, Office of Library Information
Services. 2004. Budget Planning Guide for School Library Media
Specialists.
www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin/budgetplanguide.doc
Budget should include (for example):
Salaries
Library books and media
Classroom supplies and equipment <$1000
Subscriptions
Furniture and equipment (replacement)
Furniture and equipment (additional )

15. Contracted services (e.g., repairs to computer or audiovisual
equipment)
Software license fees
_______________________
Additional Resources
American Association of School Librarians crisis
toolkit:http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslissues/toolkits/crisis
School libraries’ impact studies:http://www.lrs.org/impact.php
--Maureen
Meuer, William G. “a jewel in the rough: resurrecting an
elementary school library.” Teacher Librarian 32, no. 3 (February
2005): 62-63. Library, Information Science & Technology
Abstracts, EBSCOhost.
http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/login.aspx
?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=16251599&site=ehost-live
This article provides a great narrative example of what a Chicago
Public School library did in order to match the money they
received in a grant. They started a Birthday Book Club, a
program the school I work at also does, where students can
donate to the library and pick a book off of a catalogue compiled
by the school librarian. Alumni, families, businesses and
community members also became involved (holiday gifts to
school, made in memory of alumni or family members, made in
pets or grandparents names) and the school was able to raise
thousands of dollars for the library and match the money given to
them in the grant.
A birthday book club, or a similar program in our library could be
a great way to fundraise for the library.

16. -julie
___________________________________________________
____________
Hi,
I attended ISLMA‟s (IL School Library Media Association)
conference this weekend and got some good ideas.
IDEAS TO INCREASE LIBRARY FUNDS
1. We need to get our PTOs (Parent Teacher Organization)
involved. We should present all of the statistics about the
importance of school libraries (like the ones Courtney provided)
to the PTO and ask for their support. They often have decent
sized accounts with money that needs to get spent (instead of
sitting around collecting dust) and might be willing to off-set
some of the library expenses to keep both libraries open. They
also have a lot pull and might be able to persuade the school
board to keep the libraries open after hearing about the
importance of school libraries. Finally, they might be willing to
create and operate a “Save Our Library” fundraiser with the
resources (both financial and manpower) that they have
available. So, we need to allign ourselves with the PTOs at both
schools!
2. Another librarian I heard speak mentioned that she had
practically no budget at all. So, she went around to local
businesses to get donations and it worked! We could create
some marketing materials (brochures, bookmarks) and go
around to the local businesses in the commmunity with some
facts about the library and their importance and how the libraries
at the two schools might close and what we feel those

17. implications would be. We could ask for a tax-deductible
donation of $100 from these businesses to increase funds.
PUBLIC AND SCHOOL LIBRARIES WORKING TOGETHER
1. So many of the schools at this conference were working
together with their public librarians and discussed how important
that relationship is. Many school use the public libraries for inter-
library loan to supplement their collections and have the public
librarians come to the schools to speak to their students about
the databases and resources that are available for the kids to
use to complete projects and assignements. Because most
school libraries don‟t stay open late into the evening, the kids are
going to the public libraries to do homework and get information.
Plugging into the resources that are available at the public library
are in everyone‟s best interest to supplement what happens
during the day at the school library. Also, the public librarians like
to know about upcoming school projects so they can reserve
books on specific topics that might benefit the kids. For example,
if there is an upcoming project on natural disasters if the public
librarians know this in advance and know that they will have a
large number of students coming in the evenings to get books
they can pull out resources in advance for the students to
choose from. Also, they can get interlibrary loan books in
advance to have at the ready on this topic when the kids come
in.
DATABASES THAT MANY SCHOOLS HAVE THAT “OUR”
LIBRARIES COULD ELIMINATE TO SAVE MONEY (AND USE
THEM AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY INSTEAD)
1. GALE CENGAGE LEARNING (LITERATURE RESOURCE
CENTER DATABASE, CLIC: WORLD HISTORY DATABASE). I
SPOKE TO ONE LIBRARIAN WHO TOLD ME THE SUITE OF
GALE RESOURES (THERE ARE MORE THAN THE TWO I
LISTED) COSTS ABOUT $1,300/YEAR. www.gale.com
2. PROQUEST LEARNING DATABASE www.proquestk12.com

18. 3. EBSCO (Biography Reference Center, NovelList, eBooks on
EBSCOhost, K-8 Resources Databases)
**All of these subscriptions are at least $1,200/year. So, our
theoretical schools could have subcriptions to some of these that
they decide to cancel because the public library has the same or
something similar that the kids can use and will come to the
schools to teach the kids during classtime how to use the
different databases that are available when they come to the
public library.
SCHOOL LIBRARY IMPORTANCE STATISTICS
I got a whole book entitled “Powerful Libraries Make Powerful
Learners: The Illinois Study from 2005. It is FILLED with
statistics and information about the importance of school
libraries. However, I think the stats that Courtney provided are
great. If we feel like we need more, I can always pull some great
things out of this study, but for now it seems like we are covered
here.
NEW GRANT AVAILABLE
There is a new grant available to provide libraries with free
nonfiction books that our libraries could apply for to reduce
expenses on nonfiction books. It is called the LBSS Endowment
Fund. www.lbssfund.org/index.htm
READING PROGRAM WITH THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
This idea is based on a program I implemented at a middle
school I did my practicum at last semester. While I did it solely
within the public school I was working at, we could easily work
the public library into the equation....
Create a peer book advisory program for the students of of our
two schools in an effort to create tools for them to use in
selecting books when they come to the PUBLIC library based on

19. their peers' recommendations. Poll the students when they come
to the school libraries, asking them to write down their favorite
book along with three descriptive sentences stating why they
would recommend this book to a friend. Compile the results of
these inquiries and use them to create a variety of tools for the
students to use when they go to the public library.
These tools include:
1. Bookmarks, by grade, with a list of the peer recommendations
2. Displays, by grade, in the library with a list of all the books
selected and who recommended each of them along with the
actual displayed books and a description of the book along with
the students' descriptive statements
3. Bulletin boards outside the school and public libraries
marketing the program and inviting the students to the public
library to check out the books that their friends recommended.
4. A PowerPoint presentation which will loop on the monitor in
the YA section of the public library with a photo of the child
holding up the book of their choice along with their descriptive
sentences about the book
At this developmental stage, children are very interested in their
peers' opinions and ideas. Creating this program will give them
an opportunity to learn about the books their friends like, get new
book ideas and hopefully open up a line of discussion among
friends about their various book suggestions and get them going
to the public library so that, while there, they will check out peer
recommended books plus utilize the other resources that are
available at the public library (but no longer at the school libraries
like databases for projects that were eliminated at the schools
due to budget cuts).
For more information on collaborations between public and
school libraries:
MacDonald, Cynthia. "Public Libraries + School Libraries =
Smart Partnerships." CSLA Journal 30.2 (2007): 11-12.

20. For tips on working with cooperatively with fellow librarians
(School and Public together):
Ziarnik, Natalie Reif. School & Public Libraries: Developing the
Natural Alliance. Chicago: American Library Association, 2003.
Leah